Spraying device for jets of windscreen washers in motor vehicles

ABSTRACT

A spraying device for windscreen washer nozzles of automobile vehicles has a fixing body and a spraying body which are coupled coaxially to each other and to a nozzle body attachable to a body work and connectable to a cleaning liquid tube. The coupling of the fixing and spraying body forms a cleaning liquid inlet chamber, a plurality of independent intermediate chambers which lead into the inlet chamber, and an outlet chamber which links with intermediate chambers by ducts, while an outlet of the cleaning liquid in spray form is implemented through an orifice in the spraying body superimposed on the outlet chamber.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is a spraying device for windscreen washernozzles of automobile vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known in the art are an extensive variety of embodiments of nozzles forwindscreen washer installations of automobile vehicles which, ingeneral, include a nozzle body fixed to the bodywork of the vehicle,frequently to the bonnet, and means to project the cleaning liquid whichessentially consist in a ball mounted with a snug fit in a cavity of thenozzle body, which ball has a through-orifice with a conicalcleaning-liquid intake mouth and can be rotated in any direction betweenthe directions normally used for suitable projection of said liquidagainst the windscreen. The usual practice for the cleaning ofwindscreens is to fit two nozzles which act simultaneously.

In known embodiments of nozzles such as those described above, theprojection of cleaning liquid consists in a jet of relatively high flowand pressure which reaches the windscreen at a point determined by theposition of the ball, which mode of projection has the disadvantagesdetailed below. The volume of cleaning liquid used in each cleaningoperation is relatively high, which leads to a situation in which, inorder to make provision for a certain number of windscreen cleaningoperations between consecutive refillings of the cleaning liquidreservoir fitted ex-works to the automobile vehicles, said reservoirshave to be of considerable volume, which is a significant obstacle tosituating them in the engine compartment. This difficulty of situationis accentuated where, for reasons or volume or any other reasons, thecleaning liquid reservoir cannot be situated in said engine compartment,but has instead to be situated in zones of the vehicle bodywork which atleast raise problems of installation, of access to electrical pumps forpropelling the cleaning liquid, of passage of tubes, etc., which in anycase increase both fitting and maintenance costs.

Means for projecting liquid by spraying are known. The patent documentFR-A-1355350 discloses a spray head for pressurized containers in whichthere is an outlet chamber feeded through conducts tangentiallydisposed; the admission of the pressurized liquid produces a swirl insaid chamber. Patent document U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,437 describes a sprayhead in which there is a perimetral inlet chamber communicating with anoutlet chamber through tangential conducts. The devices described inboth documents, FR-A-1355350 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,437, produce aswirl of the fluid which is not applicable to the projection of cleaningliquid on a vehicle windscreen.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

A spraying device of new structure and mode of operation for windscreenwasher nozzles of automobiles is made known herein in order to provide asolution for the disadvantages deriving from the high consumption ofcleaning liquid of the known embodiments of nozzles equipped withball-type liquid-propulsion means.

The spraying device of the invention has a nozzle body of a shape suitedto each specific case of application, preferably made of plasticmaterial, which nozzle body has means for exterior attachment thereof tothe bodywork of the vehicle and means to receive a cleaning liquid tube.

The nozzle device of the invention is characterized in that it includesa spraying body and a fixing body which can be coupled coaxially to eachother and to the nozzle body, in which:

the spraying body is of a generally hollow cylindrical shape open at oneof its ends and having on its internal side face and running from theedge of the open end a plurality of regularly distributed longitudinalribs which extend up to the interior face or bottom of the closed end,and in that bottom end and running from the centre of same a pluralityof grooves which extend up to the internal side face betweencorresponding and adjacent longitudinal ribs, and at the closed end athrough-orifice in centred position;

the fixing body is of generally cylindrical shape, having at one of itsends, the exterior end, a coaxial groove of U-shaped cross-sectiondesigned to receive with a snug fit the open end of the spraying bodyand forming an axial cylindrical portion, while at its other end, theinterior end, it has a centred orifice of quadrangular cross-sectionwhich leads into the coaxial groove to form two passage openings; and

for coupling of the fixing and nozzle bodies, the nozzle body has afixing orifice designed to receive the fixing body with a snug fit, thebottom of the fixing orifice into which the centred orifice of thefixing body leads having a hydraulic duct with means for receiving theaforesaid cleaning liquid tube, all of this so designed that coupling ofthe spraying, fixing and nozzle bodies forms:

a cleaning liquid inlet chamber formed between the bottom of the coaxialgroove of the fixing body and the open end of the spraying body, intowhich the passage openings of the fixing body lead;

a plurality of independent intermediate chambers formed by thelongitudinal ribs of the spraying body and the axial cylindrical portionof the fixing body, which lead respectively into the inlet chamber; and

a plurality of ducts formed by the grooves at the bottom of the sprayingbody and the free end of the cylindrical portion of the fixing body,which ducts link corresponding intermediate chambers with an outletchamber formed by the intersection of said ducts, into which outletchamber the centred through-orifice of the closed end of the sprayingbody leads.

According to another characteristic of the spraying device of theinvention, there are four intermediate chambers.

According to another characteristic of the spraying device of theinvention, between the bottom of the fixing orifice of the nozzle bodyand the interior end of the fixing body a filtering element is fitted.

The above-described characteristics of the spraying device of theinvention provide an innovative solution to the problems raised by thelarge dimensions of the cleaning liquid reservoirs normally used inwindscreen washer installations, and the problems involved in situatingsame on the vehicle, those dimensions being largely determined, asoutlined above, by the high flow of cleaning liquid projected by theknown embodiments of nozzles fitted with ball-type projection means.Indeed, from the tests carried out by the inventor, and with equalresults in respect of windscreen cleaning and number of cleaningoperations under similar conditions, use of the spraying device of theinvention reduces consumption of cleaning liquid by up to 85% withrespect to the consumption arising with the known embodiments of nozzlesequipped with ball-type liquid-projection means. Under equal conditionsin terms of number of cleaning operations which can be allowed forbetween consecutive refillings of the cleaning liquid reservoir, thisreduction of cleaning liquid permits windscreen-washer installations tobe equipped with cleaning liquid reservoirs of very small dimensions.From results obtained in tests carried out by the inventor, the latterconcludes that windscreen washer installations fitted with the sprayingdevice of the invention can be equipped with cleaning liquid reservoirshaving a volume between 1 dm³ and 2 dm³, which in most cases practicallyallows the cleaning liquid reservoir to be situated in the enginecompartment, or easily situated in places of the vehicle bodywork whichallow easy access for fitting and refilling operations.

In addition to the above, use of the spraying device of the inventionprovides the following advantages. The spraying of the cleaning liquidacts upon a cleaning liquid receiving surface which practically coversthe surface area of the windscreen, so that the action of the windscreenwipers is enhanced right from the moment when projection of the cleaningliquid starts, unlike in the known embodiments of nozzles equipped withball-type projection means, in which the impact area of the jet ofcleaning liquid is very small and that liquid has to be distributed overthe surface area of the windscreen by the action of the windscreenwipers. Furthermore, in places where parked vehicles are subject, due tolow ambient temperatures, to accumulations of ice in the form of a layeron the windscreen, spraying of the cleaning liquid greatly facilitatesremoval of that ice layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing sheets of this specification show the spraying device of theinvention for windscreen washer nozzles of automobile vehicles. In saiddrawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the fixing body of the spraying device of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is the view corresponding to the section II--II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is the view corresponding to section III--III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the spraying body of the spraying device of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is the view corresponding to section V--V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is the view corresponding to section VI--VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal-section view of the coupling of the sprayingand fixing bodies of the device of the invention;

FIG. 8 is the view corresponding to section VIII--VIII of FIG. 7, and

FIG. 9 is a section view of a nozzle fitted with the spraying device ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE OF EMBODIMENT

The spraying device of the invention for windscreen washer nozzles ofautomobile vehicles described as an example of embodiment is applied, asshown by FIG. 9, to a nozzle 1 which comprises a nozzle body 2 providedwith an axial extension 3 having a screw thread 4 and an opening 5designed for connecting a flexible cleaning liquid tube (not shown); thenozzle body 2 can be attached to the bodywork 6 of the vehicle, forexample to the bonnet, by means of its axial extension 3, which passesthrough a through-orifice 7 made in the bodywork 6, and through aleaktight gasket 8, the nozzle body 2 being fixed to the bodywork 6 bymeans of a nut (not shown) threaded down on the screw thread 4 of theaxial extension 3, in such a way that tightening down of said nutsubjects the gasket 8 to compression between the nozzle body 2 and thebodywork 6.

The spraying device of the invention includes a fixing body 9, shown inplan view and in section in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, and a spraying body 10shown in plan view and in section in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show how the fixing body 9 is of a generally longcylindrical shape: at one of its ends, the exterior end 11, it has acoaxial groove 12 with a cross-section which is generally U-shaped inoutline and forms an axial cylindrical portion 13; at its other end, theinterior end 14, it has a centred orifice 15 of quadrangularcross-section, and more specifically of rectangular cross-section withits two shorter sides presenting a certain concavity, all this sodesigned that the centred orifice 15 leads into the coaxial groove 12 toform on the axial cylindrical portion 13 two passage openings 16 whichare diametrically opposite each other, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show how the spraying body 10 is of generally long,hollow cylindrical shape: one of the ends of the spraying body 10, theexterior end 17, is closed and has a centred through-orifice 18; to itsinterior, the spraying body 10 has, on its side face 19 and running fromthe edge 20 of its other end, the interior open end 21, four equal ribs22 running longitudinally and distributed regularly, which run as far asthe bottom 23 of the exterior closed end 17; and to the interior, insaid bottom 23, the spraying body 10 has four grooves 24 runningradially from the centre of said bottom 23 and extending as far as theside face 19 in a zone intermediate between two adjacent ribs 22.Preferably, the ribs 22 have an essentially semi-truncated-cone shapewith their smaller base oriented towards the exterior, while the radialgrooves 24 have a generally U-shaped cross-section of a width whichincreases in the direction running from the side face 19 towards thecentre occupied by the through-orifice 18.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show how the coupling under pressure of the fixing 9 andspraying 10 bodies is implemented in such a way that the interior openend 21 of the spraying body 10 is arranged in the coaxial groove 12 ofthe fixing body 9, and the free end 26 of the axial cylindrical portion13 of the fixing body 9 rests on the bottom 23 of the spraying body 10.This arrangement forms: an annular inlet chamber 27 which, as shown inFIG. 7, is formed between the bottom 28 of the groove 12 of the fixingbody 9 and the interior open end 21 of the spraying body 10; fourindependent intermediate chambers 29 formed, as shown in FIG. 8, betweenthe axial cylindrical portion 13 of the fixing body 9 and thelongitudinal ribs 22 of the spraying body 10; and, as shown in FIG. 7,four radial ducts 30 formed by the grooves 24 of the bottom 23 of thespraying body 10 and the free end 26 of the cylindrical portion 13 ofthe fixing body 9, which ducts 30 link respective intermediate chambers29 with an outlet chamber 31 formed by the intersection of said radialducts 30.

FIG. 9 shows how the coupling of the fixing 9 and spraying 10 bodies tothe nozzle body 2 is implemented under pressure by means of an orifice32 made in the nozzle body 2, which orifice 32 establishes hydrauliccommunication at its bottom 33 with a longitudinal duct 34 of the axialextension 3 through a filtering element 35, preferably a metal mesh.With this arrangement of the nozzle 2, fixing 9 and spraying 10 bodies,the cleaning liquid driven by the electric pump (not shown) of thewindscreen washer installation reaches the duct 34 of the nozzle body 2,passing successively through: the filtering element 35 which preventsthe passage of solid bodies in suspension transported by the cleaningliquid; the centred orifice 15 of the fixing body 9; the passageopenings 16 in the fixing body 9; the annular inlet chamber 27; andsimultaneously, through the four independent intermediate chambers 29,the radial ducts 30, the outlet chamber 31 and, finally, the centredthrough-orifice 18 where the cleaning liquid reaches the exterior inspray form.

What is claimed is:
 1. A spraying device for windscreen washer nozzles of automobile vehicles, comprising a nozzle body provided with means for exterior attachment to a bodywork of the vehicle and with means for receiving a cleaning liquid tube; a spraying body of a substantially hollow cylindrical shape and having an open end, an internal side face, a bottom at a closed end, a plurality of uniformly distributed longitudinal ribs extending from an edge of said open end to said bottom, a plurality of grooves provided in said bottom and running from a center of said bottom to said internal side face between said longitudinal ribs and a central through-orifice provided at said closed end; a fixing body of a substantially cylindrical shape coupled coaxially to said spraying body and said nozzle body and having at one exterior end a coaxial groove of a U-shaped cross-section which is formed to receive with a snug fit said open end of said spraying body and forms an axial cylindrical portion, and at the other interior end having a central orifice of a quadrangular cross-section which leads into said coaxial groove and forms two passage openings; means for coupling said fixing body with said nozzle body and including a fixing orifice which receives said fixing body with a snug fit and has a bottom into which said central orifice of said fixing body leads; a cleaning liquid inlet chamber formed between a bottom of said coaxial groove of said fixing body and said open end of said spraying body so that said passage openings of said fixing body lead into said inlet chamber; a plurality of independent intermediate chambers formed by said longitudinal ribs of said spraying body and said axial cylindrical portion of said fixing body and leading into said inlet chamber; and a plurality of ducts formed by grooves provided in said bottom of said spraying body and a free end of said axial cylindrical portion of said fixing body, said ducts linking said intermediate chambers with an outlet chamber formed by intersection of said ducts so that said central through-orifice of said closed end of said spraying body leads into said outlet chamber.
 2. A spraying device as defined in claim 1, wherein said nozzle body is composed of a plastic material.
 3. A spraying device as defined in claim 1, wherein said intermediate chambers include four such intermediate chambers.
 4. A spraying device as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a filtering element located between said bottom of said fixing orifice of said nozzle body and said interior end of said fixing body at an inlet of said central orifice of rectangular cross-section of said fixing body. 